[636power]

what is the difference between the dana differentials in jeep tj's thanks

Wes

[otisdog]

All except the Rubicon come with a Dana 30 in the front which is strong enough to deal with most 4-wheeling. The rear axle is the one to be concerned about. Most TJ's have the Dana 35 which is not really strong enough to stand up to bigger tires and lockers etc. They snap axles pretty easy and since they have c-clip axles the tire, wheel and outer part of the axle will come right on off when the axle breaks. An option was the Dana 44 and this is highly desirable. It is much stronger and will hold up well.
The Rubicon has a 44 rear and a 44/30 hybrid in the front. The Rubicon also has air lockers.
The regular 44 or 35 rear axle may have a track-lok limited slip diff or just be an open diff.
jim

[636power]

ok so i dont know what the axle is in the jeep im buying probably a dana 35 though, i want to lift it about 4 inches suspension, and 1 or 2 body. put 35's on it, and use it not alot, but use it once in a while to go offroading, mostly town driving and durring winter through lots of snow. would the dana 35 be good to keep. it wont be a rock crawler or anything, just mud, snow and pavment. well gravel roads two lol but nothing to serious

Wes

[Expat]

If you haven't bought it yet just make sure you get one with the Dana 44 rear. That will save you time and trouble of doing a swap later.

[636power]

the one im looking at only has 30,000 km's on it, and its 5 grand cheaper then i can get anywhere else

[Scotch740]

For 5 grand you could order a D44 or a Ford 8.8 with the right gears and an air locker and still have about 3 grand left over. IF you instal it your self, which would be a rather simple bolt in. then matching the gears in the front but thats something you will have to do either way.

[Expat]

Yeah if you get a good deal on one with a 35 don't let that be a hold up.

[ps3tv]

If you are set on 35" tires I would not buy the Jeep. Its just not worth the hassle of doing an axle swap if you don't have to.

[Expat]

An axle swap is easy, especially if he saves a few grand up front. Although shopping around more could net him a ride with a Dana 44 already.

[ps3tv]

Except the most likely scenario is that the axle swap will never occur. Sorry, I'm not going to recommend a Dana 35 for someone considering 35" tires. We'll have to agree to disagree on this one.

[Expat]

Well that's his fault and we can say I told you so then. Fact remains if he gets a swinging deal on a Jeep with a 35 he can be money ahead with a little bit of work and an axle swap. Nobody here has recommended he run 35s on a 35.